An Unexpected Welcome Home
by kayla-thebored
Summary: He couldn't keep himself from his repetitive movements, from tapping his finger to the moments where he stopped in his tracks. Only one person could make him like this. He feared the worst as he approached District 12 after all these years. He's got nothing much else to lose but will his fears become reality? GaleXKatniss Friendship. One-shot! Thnx to ExoGriffin for proofreading!


**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games**

**Hey guys! I know I haven't updated in a while, but it's because I am working on 5 one-shots for the hunger games! I don't know why, but when I read a few Hunger Games fanfiction, ideas just started to pop into my head. Anyway, after I'm done with at least 3 of the one-shots, I promise to update my other story "The Gods Read The Lightning Thief" Anyway, again, this one-shot might be a little OOC.**

**Also, thank you to my cousin whose name had changed to ExoGriffin, for proof-reading this!**

**Read, Enjoy, Review!**

**Third Person:**

It has been exactly 3 and a half years since the war has ended, and right now, Commander Hawthorne is tapping his finger on his knee impatiently as he waits for his jet to land on his former District, District 12. He didn't know why he was so nervous. He was just going here for a mission assigned to him. But, that wasn't all. He wanted to go back to the woods, to hunt for at least another day, and he was afraid that he would see someone that he had not seen for a long time.

He sits there, just waiting and tapping impatiently until one of his soldiers come up to him.

"Commander Hawthorne, the captain says that we are going to land soon and that all should prepare for landing." He said

He nodded "Alright."

He looks out the window beside him and sees the coal mines and the forest that outstretched into who knows where. The corner of his lips twitches a little but it quickly goes down. A few minutes later, after the bumps of the jet as it landed, he was back. He was back after 3 and half years.

He doesn't know what to expect. The people will most likely be the same and the economy would be better than before, but he's not thinking about that. No, he's thinking about _her._ He knows that she will not welcome him with open arms, in fact, he wouldn't be hurt if she didn't welcome him at all because of what he did to his sister, however unintentional it was, but he just wants to see her, at least one more time after all these years.

He slings his pack over his shoulder as he walks towards the door. The soldiers nod at him before letting him pass through. The moment his feet lands firmly on the coal dusted floor he feels a wave of nostalgia. He breaths in deeply before walking forward. The new mayor of the district had already planned and gave them places for him and his soldiers to stay while they are in the district, but he didn't go there, instead, he gives an order to his second in command and walks directly towards the Seam.

He walks slowly as he looks from left to right, taking everything in. There is not much left in the Seam except for rubble and dust, but just being there makes him remember the bittersweet memories he had made. When he reaches the fence, he stops for a second to listen to the slight hum that tells him the electricity of the fence is on, even though he knows it wouldn't be. He goes under it and he jogs towards the forest.

As he touches the first tree that will outstretch into the beautiful forest he had missed for years, he takes a deep breath. He walks forward and towards the place he hid his weapons, walking there as though he hasn't been gone these past years. He found the tree that he had carved into and pulled out his bow and arrows and his pile of ropes. He drops his bag beside it and slings his weapons over his shoulder.

For the next hour he hunted, shooting squirrels and rabbits. He once saw a deer, but he let it go, thinking that someone else might want to catch it herself. He goes towards the place where they had been harvesting their strawberries. He plucks a few and put it his bag before going back to his tree.

He puts his bows and arrows back into the tree, thinking of when he would use it again, probably not in a few more years. He takes his backpack and grabs his game for the day and walk back to the fence. As he walks, he takes a look at his watch and sees that it was only half past eight. He runs his fingers through his hair before he reaches the fence. Once through, he makes his way to the Hob, which was now a legal market and trading place for everyone.

He gives his game to the people, not wanting anything in return as they thank him and ask him of his life in District 2. He had told them that it was fine with a smile and walked away with a goodbye. He didn't want to leave just yet. He didn't want to have free time while he was there. His job does not start until later that day which meant that he could do whatever he wanted. But the thing was, what he wanted to do was difficult. He could not just walk there and act as though he had not been gone for years like he did in the forest and in the hob. No, he had to prepare himself.

He almost laughed at himself as he thought about what he was thinking. The brave Commander Hawthorne who leads an army is afraid of visiting an old friend. He decided that it was still early and that he didn't need to rush, so instead, he went to his room for the meantime and changes from his uniform to a pair of denim pants and a plain white shirt and boots. He looked at the clock stuck to the wall and noticed that it had not even passed 10 minutes from nine o'clock.

He sighs. He can't keep running away. He has to visit at least once during his stay here. He exhales one more time before deciding that it was time. She would probably be awake now; she is in fact, still a hunter. She is used to waking up early to hunt. So, with much hesitation, he walks out of his temporary room and heads out towards the Victor's Village.

His palms are sweaty as he comes closer and closer to his destination, until he can actually see it. As he got closer, he spotted her house first. It was the one nearest to the forest, which he wasn't surprised about. He then saw Peeta's house, which was just a house away from her.

Peeta.

He wonders how he has been, or if he was still having episodes. He knew that she and the guy had been speaking and making contact with each other. Not because someone told him, but because he just knew. She wouldn't last a day without him. It still pains him to think so, but he has accepted it. He was the one she needed, not him.

He was now standing at the front of the village. He looked around, waiting for any sign of movement, but there was nothing. He looked over to his right and saw at the very back, a house with a dead lawn and geese running about, the house of Haymitch Abernathy. Then, he turned to his left. He saw his house first. There was a garden up front, but something seemed off. The mailbox was rusty and the house gave off an aura that seemed abandoned, like it had not been lived in for years.

Then, he turned to her house. It was painted orange, the color standing out from the white houses that were surrounding it. There was a garden at the side, and it was filled with yellow primroses and dandelions. He felt a pang in his chest as he saw the flowers, guilt flowing through his veins. He took a deep breath and cleared his head. He turned his attention back to the house. The windows were open and the curtains danced as the wind hit them. The sunlight seemed to bounce off of the walls making it more colorful than it already was.

He started to walk towards the door and as he passed the mailbox, he noticed letters and newspapers were stacked inside, a little dust covering it as though it had not been touched for months. Knowing her, it probably hasn't. He walks up the stairs and now he stands in front of her door, contemplating on whether he should knock and stay firmly planted to the ground or, be a wimp and walk away.

He doesn't know why, but he does the former. He raises his hand, and slowly knocks on the wooden door three times with his knuckles. He listens carefully for any sound of movement within the house, but there was nothing. He takes another breath and knocks again, this time, a little louder.

Still, silence. Was she not home? he thought. If she wasn't then where would she be? If she was in the forest, he might've seen her since they go to the same path. If she was in the Hob, he could've spotter her easily too, but he hadn't. So once again, he raises his knuckles and knocks. If she does not answer now, he'll just walk away.

Five seconds have passed and still nothing. He sighs and starts to turn around when he hears it, the shuffling of feet on the stairs. He sucks in a breath wipes his palms on his pants before standing firm, ready for what he might see. The door is yanked open, and what he saw was definitely not was he was expecting.

Now standing in front of him was Katniss Everdeen. He stares at her figure for a moment, before turning away and he feels the heat building on his face, sure that he had turned red.

He thought he was ready for whatever she could've done to him. He was ready for a slap to the face. He was ready for a punch on the gut. He was ready to be kicked in places where the sun don't shine, but he did not expect her to be standing in the doorway, barefoot with only a shirt that was two times bigger than her, only covering from her knees and up.

He clears his throat before speaking in a voice that was higher than he had expected.

"Er, hi, Katniss" he said rather awkwardly.

Her face was slightly red too and as she opened her mouth to say something, someone behind her had called out.

"Who is it Katniss?" the voice said and right after, Peeta Mellark comes rushing down the stairs, in only his boxers and a white undershirt. He stops at the foot of the stairs when he sees who was standing at the door. Katniss turns around to face him.

Peeta walks over to her and puts a hand on her shoulder as he faces their visitor.

"Peeta" Gale nodded towards him.

"Gale" Peeta nods back "What are you doing back in the district?" he asked. He didn't ask it in a bitter way, but he asked it in a formal way.

"I have to do a small mission here, check out how everything was doing in the district and I thought I'd visit." He said

"Well, come in." he said as he and Katniss backed away from the door to make way for him.

Gale glances at Katniss as he passes him and they make small eye contact before she breaks it almost immediately. They walk towards the living room, which was clattered with paint brushes, canvases and small cans of paint everywhere.

"Sorry it's a little messy; we didn't expect any visitors today." Peeta said

"Oh no, it's fine. I should have let you know." Gale said back.

He looks at Katniss, who has not said a word since he had come. She was hanging on tightly to Peeta's shirt as though if she let go, she would collapse to the ground. After a second of silence, she said her first word since he had been there.

"I'm going to change" she says to Peeta before giving him a kiss on the cheek and ascending up the stairs.

"I'm going to get us something to eat. Make yourself at home." Peeta said before going to the kitchen.

Gale nodded at him, but doesn't say a word. He can't make himself at home because it would feel too uncomfortable to him. He feels like he's trespassing private property. He hears the pans and the fridge from the kitchen and the shuffling of feet upstairs. He looks around the living room and decides to look around to pass the time. He looks at the paintings surrounding the walls, the floor and the one that was not done yet.

He sees pictures during the war, and during the 74th and the 75th games, which were all stacked in one corner. He looks at the paintings on the wall, which were mostly of the sunset, the lake or of Katniss. They were beautiful and well done, but he wasn't surprised. His gaze turns to the unfinished one still on the paint stand. It was Katniss, but it looks different from the others. In this one, her hair is disheveled, her forehead had a slight coat of sweat on it, her eyes were closed and a small smile was playing on her lips a thin blanket covering her body. He had never seen her so calm and happy.

He hears someone clear their throat behind him and he sees Katniss there, standing across from him. She was now wearing the usual pants, shirt and hunting boots. She wasn't looking at him and instead looked at the ground.

"Hey Catnip." It was barely a whisper, but she heard it.

She glances at him, uncertainty in her eyes "Why are you here Gale?"

He shrugs "I just thought that I'd visit, see how you're doing."

"Why?" she asks

Just one simple question, but he doesn't know how to answer. Why did he come here? What was his purpose? He knew he would get rejected by her.

"Because, even though I'm not your best friend anymore, you're still mine." He answered

She stays silent and doesn't say anything.

"Look Katniss, I'm sorry." He said. She doesn't move. "I'm sorry that I left you after the war. I'm sorry that I wasn't here to comfort you when you needed someone." He said "But, you didn't need me. You needed him. And, I knew you would've chosen him in the end anyway, and I'm not hurt. I'm actually glad, because I know that no one can comfort and protect and love you the way he does."

She is now looking at him, but she still doesn't move from her position.

"And I'm sorry." He says yet again "For Prim" it was barely a whisper but she heard it and it made her flinch. Just hearing him say her name hurts her.

"I-I didn't think that Coin would use those bombs for that reason. I didn't mean for her to get, hurt. She was just like a sister to me. And, no one can probably feel the pain you felt when she _left _but, it hurt me too. I knew how much you loved her and I have been blaming myself for everything that has happened to her, and I'm so sorry Katniss."

She stands there, a single tear rolling down her cheeks before she speaks.

"I miss her Gale. I miss her so much." It was like she stabbed him in the stomach, but he deserved it. He tried not to let tears roll out of his eyes, because he wouldn't be able to keep himself together if he did.

"I'm so sorry." He repeats

"I don't blame you Gale." She said "You might have helped build those bombs, but you didn't want that to happen either. I know you didn't." She said

He stared at her with wide eyes, not believing what he had just heard. And then, she smiled at him. Just a little, but she did.

"And you're still my friend. It might not be the same from before, it'll never be the same from before, but you're still my friend." She says

Gale smiles, he walks fowards he until they are only a few inches away "Thank you, Katniss." He said

He hugs her and she hugs him back. It was only for a few seconds but it was enough for him. When they pull away, Peeta comes into the living room, a smile on his face.

"Here's the food." He said before putting the plates onto the table and kissing her on the forehead.

"Thank you." Gale said

After that, everything seemed so normal. Peeta and Gale actually got along and Katniss was happy about it. They spent the next hour talking and catching with each other. But, it couldn't last forever. He checked the time to see that he needed to get back to make it in time to his meeting.

They walked him out to the front door and gave each other one last hug and handshake.

"Take care, Gale." Peeta said

"You too, take good care of her." He said

Peeta smiled "Don't worry, I will."

Gale smiled at Katniss "I'll see you soon, Catnip." He said

Katniss smiled back "Goodbye Gale, I'll see you." She said before giving him one last hug.

He turns around and walks away, walks away from her. But, he doesn't feel anything but content. He knew that she would pick him in the end. He had just been too blind to see it. To see that he was the only one who could make her sad, the one who could make her laugh for hours, the one who could be there to comfort her whenever she needed it. He was the only one who she had ever loved so much. Gale knew that no one could love her the way Peeta did. Not even his love could compare to his.

When Gale thought about this, he remembered the conversation he and Peeta had during the war. Katniss didn't pick the one she needed the most. She picked the one she loved the most. And now, Gale finally understands that the love she had for him was one that could never compare, and that nothing could keep her away from him. They were happy. She was happy. And because of that, he was happy.

**Read, Enjoy, Review!**

**Wow! Pretty long huh? Well, if you guys like it, please review! I'd very much appreciate it. The ending wasn't that good, but I hope it's fine for you. Anyway, a new one-shot will probably be released in the next few days. And after that, I promise that I will update my stories! Thank you!**


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